“Religion is excellent stuff for keeping common people quiet. Religion is what keeps the poor from murdering the rich.” Napoléon Bonaparte
Should world leaders openly talk about God after a blast like today's? imo, not only world leaders should openly talk about God, but also world newspapers should also do so on regular basis, weekly or monthly. Let people of all faiths and no-faith openly discuss and exchange ideas about it, as how, why, what the issue affect our daily life locally, domestically, nationally regionally and globally. This is a truly Big issue practically that should not be ignored. Talking about God does not mean having to be religious, imo. We could talk about God without saying anything about religions, if we really choose to. When we know how a particular politician or leader think and talk about God, we would almost know what kind of future direction the country would be heading to. Then we would have a better chance next election deciding whether we would still back the same politician/leader, or find another alternative. Just 2 cents!
The Christians had their bitter wars in Europe in the 16/17th centuries. Now the Muslims are having theirs. What were those old wars about ? Not 1 in a hundred can tell you today in any detail. So we can probably look forward to at least another century of muslim wars, about what really. The human lunacy and desire to kill is in the muslim world.
Presenting various views formally discussed by different faiths or non-faith people including politicians, religious leaders, academics, laymen, believers, non-believers, etc. etc. is useful in order for others to learn different views and aspects in addition to what they have told by religious friends and leaders during their life and growing environment since birth. The chance is just one day, any day, a person already having a bit of extreme view would encounter this kind of open discussion about God due to common curiosity. That would most likely help learning inclusion and acceptance of others, before just too late - after reaching to an extreme view/act against others. The key issue probably would be simply What is the definition of God! People with strong view and faith on their conviction know clearly and well the definition of God should have no hesitations to join participating the discussion in order to convince others about their God definition. Or later perhaps amend their original thoughts/beliefs about their initial definition. Avoiding this issue may not be a better alternative! Another 2 cents. LOL
from the same interesting article... In 2010, Army Maj. Gen. Michael Flynn (yes, that Michael Flynn), then a senior intelligence officer in Afghanistan, wrote a stinging critique of the military’s failure to collect and act on information about the local drivers of violence and insurgent influence. “Lethal targeting alone will not help U.S. and allied forces win in Afghanistan,” he wrote. Not understanding the culture ― we continue to make that mistake over and over, in Vietnam, in Iraq and Afghanistan.Brendan Mulvaney, who teaches at the National Defense University For years, however, these ideas were overwhelmed by the more urgent push to defeat the enemy on the battlefield. Attacking the root causes of war was relegated to a lower priority. It was too hard to figure out, some combat commanders said, and it took too long. With deployments lasting a year or less, there was no incentive to invest in a project that might take five years to pay off. “Not understanding the culture ― we continue to make that mistake over and over, in Vietnam, in Iraq and Afghanistan,” said Brendan Mulvaney, a former Marine helicopter gunship pilot and foreign area officer who teaches at the U.S. Air Force Air War College and the National Defense University. He led a recent study for the Army on how “we screwed up in Iraq and how not to do that again.” It requires “having people outside the typical military planning process, looking from a social-political-economic-cultural lens,” he said.
A peaceful religion is a bonus to political leaders but an extremist ideology can cause major upheavals. For instance the assassination of Franz Joseph set off a chain of events that culminated in WW1. There is the age old question of philosophy and religion. When can violence be justified ? For instance in defending against an attack ? To right a wrong ? To pander to the whims and lunacy of a dictator ?
There seems to be a new trend of " lone wolf attacks". Not an easy one for security to defend against. For no one knows what a secretive lone attacker is planning. The only defenses are :- 1. Wait 'til the trend blows itself out and carry on as usual. 2. Institute the temporary emergency idea of collective responsibility. That is the family and friends should watch each other to make sure their children are not making bombs etc. in their garden sheds/back bedrooms. If a bomber is positively identified then all his/her assets and those of his family and friends would be seized to compensate his victims. Their local church/mosque should also contribute. No doubt the evil will pass but tough times are ahead.
Trump. Xi and Putin are ratcheting up the arms race and are behaving very badly imho by wasting so much money. They are no better than Kim of North Korea. The first duty of any responsible Government is to look after their people.
"Government of the people, by the people, for the people, shall not perish from the Earth." --- Abraham Lincoln